(TibetanReview.net, Oct30’25) – The executive head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Dharamshala, India, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, has on Oct 29 expressed disappointment over the fact that the Trump administration’s move to defund Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA) is creating an information void in Chinese-ruled Tibet. He has expressed hope that the funding could be restored.
Addressing the National Press Club, Washington, DC, the Tibetan Sikyong has said the US stations, which have been persistent thorns in Beijing’s side, had played a vital role, including in conveying American values to Tibetans.
“People are feeling the void already. From within Tibet, we receive messages, like – they can’t say directly, so they are saying, ‘we are missing our morning tea’,” Reuters Oct 29 quoted him as saying.
“So we are still hoping that there would be some space for the funding of the VOA and RFA, which are very, very essential tools for information dissemination within Tibet.”
Critics of President Donald Trump call defunding the stations a strategic blunder in US competition with China, which has poured billions of dollars into pushing Beijing’s narrative.
Meanwhile, on Oct 29, RFA said it would halt all news production from Oct 31 due to the ongoing US government shutdown and delay in receiving funding for the new fiscal year. RFA had already ceased 90% of its productions after the defunding move came into effect.
President and CEO Bay Fang has called the latest move a cost-saving plan to help sustain the organization should funding resume.
Regarding the disruption in US aid for Tibetans, a major source of the CTA funding, as a result of the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under Trump’s “America First” policy, the Tibetan Sikyong has welcomed the restoration of $6.8 million.
“Every penny counts for us,” he has said. “Those fundings are very essential, not just to take the Tibetan movement forward, but also keep the Tibetan community intact.”
Ahead of crucial trade talks between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Tibetan Sikyong has cautioned world leaders against prioritizing short-term economic gains with China over their long-term national interests.